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Friday, April 07, 2006
"A Distinct Message"
Two unwitting friends
Worship and Fame
Kaleidoscopic glories
playing the same game
as they lift up the name
they claim and claim is not the same

But the real shame. . .
it's that the picture gets passed off as the frame
and the lights get confused for the Flame

And so goes the Story
of One who Became
and traded the trophies of worldly acclaim
claiming inheritance in the poor and the lame


COMMENT:
This is a sort of "spoken word" poem I wrote as I participated in the Gospel Music Association awards show earlier this week (a.k.a. the Dove awards). The Christian Music World is a fascinating industry filled with many wonderful people and yet characterized by inherently deep conflicts of interest. Throughout the evening, I had a tremendous conversation with two friends, record label execs whom I admire and appreciate for their courage to ford such treacherous waters. As we talked, the verse above came forth. Most fascinating was that following my lyric about the picture and frame, a massive picture frame descended from above framing the band that was playing on the stage at the time. Most interesting is the way worship music (ala Chris Tomlin and others) now triumphs over the Christian Music industry. It's a real victory, given the wilderness that worship has wandered through in the Contemporary Christian Music world. I suspect, though, that the real temptation is about to begin.

"A Distinct Message" was the title of the Artwork depicted on the cover of the official program of the event.

The picture in the post. . . . . . just seemed like some amazing art i needed to throw in for punctuation. That's Samuel-- our youngest (5 mos.) framed by David (5) and Mary Kathryn (3).

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posted by John David Walt | at 4/07/2006 10:21:00 PM

 

3 Comments:

Blogger mattmaher said...

"the lights get confused for the fame" - man, i just love that.

6:38 PM EDT  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"they lift up the name they claim and the claim is not the same..."
JD, that is deep, as it pertains to worship and fame...whew! Yes, worship music has indeed swept across the CCM landscape. Yet I've seen in many a worshipping of worship music, a worshipping of worship, instead of God. Worship junkies, flitting about from one "great worship experience" to another, separated from the proclaimed Word which can anchor them....the picture gets passed off as the frame....

11:36 AM EDT  
Blogger gmw said...

While I'm thankful for the abundance of contemporary worship music coming out, I am troubled by the number of "worship concerts."

This may be congruent with what jp is saying about people worshiping a worship experience. One way or another, my trouble is with charging a ticket price for a "worship" event. The Methodists split over buying pews back in the day and the folks who said "no" were right to take a stand.

This seems to me not only counter to the natures of both worship and church, but also represents the commodification of a worship experience. hmm, maybe I need to turn this into a post on my own blog soon...

1:05 AM EDT  

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